Fair From The Future
by KanraChoi
Summary: A fair travels from the future to the town of South Park and Tweek is lucky enough to attend.


The entry sign was the first thing I noticed. It hovered high in the sky blinking neon green above the main tent. It didn't matter if you could read it or not; we didn't have technology like that.

"Site of the first ever Future Fair"

I remember watching, from a distance of course, mysterious builders clearing this area months in advance. They had carved a circle out of the sparsity we called a forest outside of South Park.

The crowd is bustling and the line is unmoving as we wait to be let in. The admission fee was modest so the locals like me could afford to attend as much as any international entrepreneur or curious prince. I'm still curious as to why people in the future would be interested in our cash anyway but my father tells me "Business is business Tweek, no matter when".

I laughed at that.

A blinding light interrupted our conversation and everyone around me thrust their hands over their ears. I saw through my glasses that some people had cried out as they were too close to the dome that had appeared in place of the tent. I blinked and saw people emerging from the dome.

"A-agh! T-they actually did it! They traveled back in time?!"

People gave me glances for my doubt but everyone in line was cheering. There were so many exclamation points and graphics of clapping hands on my glasses that it was obscuring my vision.

We all ambled forward buzzing with excitement, trying to get a first peek inside the imposing dome. I take a first step inside and i see the tent was not really gone. It was a stand in, saving a spot for the dome, which had many more tents inside. They had set up display for everything you could possibly think of. Animated carnies enticed people to try out and learn about new technology in everything from food to medicine to gaming. There were even games akin to ones we have at our fairs and arcades today but there were no prizes.

"Tweek?" My name bubbled in front of my eyes with an arrow indicating that it was my mom who spoke. "Meet us back here in an hour, okay?" I nodded in response.

She hands me a brochure and map and I read the words printed across the cover in bold.

"NO TECHNOLOGY IS TO LEAVE THE FAIRGROUNDS"

The original disappointment I had when the rule was first announced still tugged at me a bit. I had to halt all the racing thoughts fighting in my head questioning whether or not the rule was for the best. The stress made me twitch a little without meaning to. I hope I don't stand out like I would at home; the crowd _was_ large.

"Uh, ngh, I'm going over to the drink tasting area! I have to know what future c-co-coffee tastes like! Ngh…"

"Atta boy Tweek!"

I was lucky that it was what my father wanted to hear because my parents didn't seem to pick up on my lie.

I trace a pathway with my finger on the map to the Human Enhancement pavillion.

I started on my pathway and before I knew it I was sprinting. Past the smells of exotic foods and future coffee and flashing screens and excited faces. Everyone had something they were excited for, there was no reason for me not to indulge myself. What if there was something that could make my life a little easier, even if it was just for a moment.

On top of the Human Enhancement pavillion was some sort of unfamiliar insignia on a flag.

"It's our symbol for technology that works with or for humans versus instead of humans."

"A-agh!"

"Ah sorry I didn't mean to startle you I'm just here to inform and answer questions."

"Uh yeah, i-it's fine like you said, just surprised… actually could you tell me where enhancements related to- uh, the ear- is?"

He smiled at me and pointed to an area to the right near the front of the tent. I moved to gesture in thanks but he had already began helping someone else. I wasn't keeping track of how fast my feet carried me down the aisle. My eyes flicked over numerous implants that could help me do next to anything by listening and talking through my ear.

"Hey there! Would you like to try my product? Do YOU have an ear for music?

I nearly jumped out of my skin and I whipped around. I met eyes with a young man about my age beaming at me. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and passion. He talked fast enough he was covering my glasses and I realized I wasn't "listening" to him, I was just zoning out and enjoying his verve. He swung around, gesturing from his posters and advertisements, to his product, looking back and forth between everything at his booth and occasionally glancing at me.

"Uh, yeah sure I'll try your product…"

He focused his eyes back on me then the blood rose into his cheeks. I could tell we both just barely noticed I was staring. I pressed my fingers into my palms and did my best to look at anything besides him. I glanced back up at him and saw him doing the same thing as I was while running his hand through his hair. My heart threatened to rip out of my chest and kill me. My organs wouldn't be very welcome splattering blood on their carpeted floors.

I wave to get his attention and his face only got even more red. He shuffled behind a table and fumbled with his invention and almost dropped it on the floor. I almost dropped my own things in response, a second-hand heart attack. After steading himself, his lips spread into a big genuine smile and he cradled the device in his hands. He carefully stepped forward and held out an earbud to me proudly.

"Um, I know you might recognize this from your time, but uh… it's more delicate than it seems, and it would be better if, well, I put it in for you."

"Agh! I can handle an earbud it's fine!"

"It's not that simple, I promise, but I don't want to scare you... "

"W-what?!"

"Don't worry! Just let me help you"

I nodded reluctantly then he approached me. From the first moment he brushed away my hair so he could see my ear, my sense of touch was tuned in to every little sensation. The cool sensation of the foreign material contrasted the growing heat in my head. The design fit perfectly into my ear unmistakably better than anything I could buy. I realized that his earbud was going to play music into my inoperable extremity. A pit in my stomach opened up and I started descending out of the room. Why would I let myself be lead along just to disappoint him? The mounting pressure made me feel like I was going to wretch. I let myself get caught up in my own thoughts about some perfect face from the future. He was probably a famous young innovator running his own company. After all, why would they show us ignorant beings from the past anything but the best?

"Hey no need to be scared, it will only be a tickle kind of pinch"

"W-w-wait what?"

"It's really nothing" He gently scooped up my hand in his unoccupied one, "I promise it'll be worth it"

I could only examine his face for honesty as my throat constricted.

"Oh God… Jesus, ugh!"

"Try not to move okay?"

I wasn't "okay" and I was having more difficulty reigning it in than usual.

"Hey hey hey hey heyyy, you're okay, you're okay! Uhmm what's your name? I'm Craig! You're okay, okay?"

"Aghh… I'm Tweek, Ngh!"

Craig wrapped his arm around me and the warmth somehow felt natural. Then I felt a small prick deep in my ear. It didn't hurt as much as Craig had built up. After I felt a slight tingle and tug when I reflexively rubbed my ear. Something connected to the earbud had attached inside my ear.

"Oh! Be careful it might pull out. Now, imagine any song you can think of! Any sound in nature can be summoned can be summoned in a single thought for your listening pleasure!"

My eyes widened. I hadn't read Craig's words on my glasses in an intrusive comic style speech bubble. I _heard _him. His voice, using my ear.

"Can you hear the song yet Tweek? Are you searching for one on your glasses? Wait when did they make those? Oh."

Craig paled as horror crept onto his face.

"Are you deaf by any chance?"

"No! Craig I can hear you now! T-this is amazing! I can't believe it! Oh god there are so many sounds how do you filter?!"

The bubble of elation was so intense I almost screamed. My face fell as my grateful expression of pure joy was met by a look of disgust and shock by Craig.

"Craig what's wron-"

"shhhh you can't tell ANYONE about this. This isn't allowed. This isn't…"

Craig had pulled me behind his display table. His hand was cupped over my lips blocking me from announcing my excitement. His glow was marred by the urgency they were stricken with. I was thrilled to be able to hear sounds instead of reading them, but his concerned struck a chord in me.

"Hello?"

I would've cried out in surprise if Craig hadn't been covering my mouth. Unfortunately Craig didn't have any accident forgiveness and he stumbled backwards. He crashed into the display case holding mannequin heads with different models of his device. The case shattered into tiny crystals as Craig fell backwards into the glass. I flinched as the sound pierced my ears.

"Oh my God! Craig are you okay?!"

"Tweek?"

"Mom?!"

"I knew you'd come here! I called the authorities for this young man. I saw everything! He was trying to sell you something illegally! Rules are rules."

I was still looking at Craig as I processed my mother's voice. It was nice in a soft sort of way but not pleasant to hear in the same way as Craig's. I felt the worry creeping up inside me when I saw the blood on Craig. What if he was seriously hurt? I kept staring and bit my nails before responding to my mom.

"Oh God, he wasn't doing anything illegal mom! He was just showing me his contribution to the fair."

"Tweek honey w-what happened?"

I finally made eye contact with my mother. I didn't recognize it in her tone, but her stiff posture and coiled muscles told me she was angry. Our first interaction where I can hear and she's mad at me.

"You surprised him and he fell into the case! _THAT'S _what happened!

My mom ignored that still looking dumbstruck.

"No… earlier you responded to what I said without looking at me, you couldn't have seen what I said… did that thing give you your hearing?"

My mom pointed at Craig's magnum opus decorating my ear. It had given me back my hearing. Such a monumental change in my life had been by accident.

Suddenly two sets of authoritative-looking men showed up. One immediately went to Craig's aide and a couple men from the other group came to me. One turned to my mother.

"Is this the one? Was deaf but got his hearing back?"

My mom responded enthusiastically yes but why. But she was cut off before she could ask all the questions she clearly had at the tip of her tongue.

"Yeah he's the one… I had no idea it didn't even occur to me. I should of warned him, it's on me guys."

I couldn't help still being excited to match up words I hear aloud to the written language I know.

"This is the past Doctor, some people were blind, deaf, or had some sort of disease. You know we have to put this right. Make him deaf again."

"Aaagh! What?! No!"

"It's not a huge change, they have technology in the works today! So what if it's a few years early. You'd really rather make a young man go deaf than bend the rules a little?"

Craig plead my case and subsequently his own. But even though I might be new to listening to people's voices, I could hear the genuine sincerity and concern for me.

Craig shifted after he was no longer being attended to. It seemed he had a handful of minor cuts after the fall but not much else and that filled me with relief. Craig approached me with a solemn dutiful dead look in his eye and pressed a button to retract the piece extended into my inner ear. He pulled the earbud out of my ear as gently as he placed it in. He held me in a moderate comfortable hug. He tossed the earpiece onto the table like discarded trash. It clattered onto the hard surface and I turned around to see if it broke.

I could still hear without it in my ear! I ran plans through my head for how fast I could learn spoken english sounds and abandon my glasses completely.

My mother looked uncomfortable as the guards examined me. This was fine right? I wasn't taking anything! She moved to pull me away but Craig moved ever so slightly to block her.

"We'll have to perform a surgery."

"No!"

My mom turned her gaze to Craig as we had both announced our disagreement at the same time. There was no way I could have a surgery! Before my panicked breathing could escalate any farther, Craig draped himself over me with a firm grip on my shoulder.

After having hesitated then, now, having had the chance to think it over, my mother finally spoke up.

"I don't approve. You aren't performing any surgery on my son! We haven't done anything wrong."

The officer straightened awkwardly at my mother's forceful words.

"Ma'am I'm sorry, the fair can't leave any lasting effects on any guests, it's the law."

"He isn't leaving the fairgrounds with any technology! You have no right! No matter what your rules _implied_ that's not what they said..."

I could feel the anger rising in the air and I was glad someone was there to hold things steady. In fact, I could've been mistaken, but I think he was deflecting onlookers from surrounding us and prying in. He was definitely flipping people off.

"I'm afraid we do, this will have to be settled privately."

One of the guards jerked the arm Craig had around me and he yanked his limb back from their grasp. He scowled and followed but not before re-encircling me.

There was something about the way we touched that seemed different than a display of affection. It didn't make my heart race or skin crawl, it just felt warm, secure, and natural. I didn't like being coddled by people because I was disabled, but the tone of his caring was entirely different.

We entered through a door I didn't see and entered what could be seen as a waiting room. The room had a quiet melody playing that crept through my senses and entranced me. The guards left and my nervous heart was able to really enjoy it. My body wanted to move to it. I wanted to dance.

"Cr-craig? This is music right?"

Craig seemed to snap out of deep thought when I addressed him.

"Oh yeah. This has been playing everywhere all day. It's just a generic fair tune from your time."

"Why did you choose me?"

"Huh?"

"In the crowd. Of all the people you could've picked, why me? You got so unlucky, you got the unstable deaf kid who might ruin your career, gah!"

"Uhm it wasn't unlucky at all… I saw you and I knew it had to be you. In that instant, I was disinterested in impressing anyone else. I try to do great things so I can shine enough to catch a star… God that sounded so corny, just forget it, the last thing it was was unlucky."

I couldn't control the blood rushing to my face. A star? Was I doing something intimidating? Why would _he _get a crush on me, just by a glance? There's nothing desirable about me. The same definitely could not be said about him. He was loving and attentive with a safe and comfortable aura. He even had a passion he turned into a career. He's the type that could have anyone!

I squeezed my eyes shut and screwed up my face, a bit of a ritual to gather myself, and stepped up. Ahhh it was all wrong, he was taller than me and I wasn't going to be able to do this.

"Do you want to dance with me? Not that I know how… ngh, uhm do you? You don't have to! Oh God…"

Craig shot out of his chair then lost energy and stumbled over to me. For the first time our hands touched and it wasn't only my hands shaking. I started to understand the idea of dancing, you just let the notes guide your steps and sway around, but I wasn't sure if Craig was on the same page.

"Ngh… maybe try like this?"

I gripped Craigs fingers tightly as I pulled him into a new spot but he almost tripped. I remember learning how to dance in school when I was little. It seemed like a waste of time then; I couldn't even hear, but it felt like that couldn't have been the only small event leading to this moment. Step, step, together step...

"Step, step, together step, step, together step…"

Craig blushed and I realized I was humming it aloud. On our next "together" he did a "step" and tripped. I was holding up most of his weight with my arms as he fell into me. He laughed a little and released his hands to wrap his arms around me.

"Sorry Tweek I'm not much of a dancer as you can tell…"

"No! It's okay! T-thanks for the dance! It was nice"

"We're ready for you."

Craig almost jumped out of his skin. I flicked around too fast and almost hit Craig in the nose.

We continued through the now open door on the opposite end of the room. The next room was very similar to the one we were just in.

"Mr. Tweek Tweak we wanted to tell you, away from your family, there is another way besides the surgery."

"R-r-really?! Let's do it! How?"

"Well, it's not what you think. You could permanently come to with us back to our time. You'd have to leave your life behind, but this way you could keep your hearing. However our offer of the surgery still stands. We apologize for putting you in this position but you must understand. We need to avoid a time paradox at all costs."

My stomach churned. I either have to go back to being deaf or abandon everything for an unknown future world. This fair would suggest the future was a utopian world with technology so advanced, anyone could live in the utmost comfort and at the brink of discovery. What if it was all a ploy? They could have sent back to us what only the top one percent of society could even look at in a shop window. It could be the government making sure we follow the technological paths that give some dictator the gadgets to form his totalitarian state.

Would it really be that bad to just stay deaf? I already know what it's like and there isn't a risk in the same way there is jumping through time into a different society. I'd just go back to my life and continue as if this had been my 8th grade science fair.

I glanced up from my hands and Craig's pain stricken face immediately pulled my eyes. We met eyes for a split second and he flicked his gaze up to the ceiling.

I thought about Craig for a second. Would my accident ruin the reputation of his product? He was clearly worried more than I noticed previously. I raked my fingers through my hair. Craig didn't deserve to have me come by and ruin his life. He went far beyond customer service for me and all I could do was say sorry when I spit in his face by rejecting the new offer. No one had ever cared so much for me, even in this short time, and I couldn't even return a bit of the kindness. I was horrible.

"If you want you could stay with me, you know"

"W-what? I could stay with you? That's insane! Why!?"

"I like you Tweek, stay with me"

I thought for sure my heart would stop. What about my parents? Could i really just ditch my life as a deaf outcast for a future with Craig? It's not like they could chase me down, I'd really be free.

My mother's anger and my father's manipulation brewed at the forefront of my memory.

"Craig would you leave your parents to go to the future with people you just met?"

"I already did, but I went to the past."

"O-oh yeah I didn't think of that…"

I flipped a coin in my head. The side that I wish for midair is the one I should choose right? As soon as I saw the shiny metallic object in my mind's eye I felt a wash of relaxation. I would never have to worry about my parents again. And they wouldn't have to worry about me.

I stepped up to the authority that had lead me here and exhaled deeply.

"I want you to take me to the future."

"Understood."

He began to smile warmly and congratulate me but Craig tackled me before he could finish. The warm weight of his body lit mine on fire and I couldn't get enough of it. I pulled myself more securely into him and the feeling of freedom I experienced so tightly wrapped was astounding. I felt like my heart was floating. Then I realized my body was floating too.

Craig laughed at my awe.

"Because they don't want to take any risks, we're leaving right now! Are you ready?"

"T-th-this second?!"

"Tell me, what's something you want to do once we're back home."

"Uh,mm I want to listen to a lot more music, and learn how to… to dance. With you more. Yeah?"

"Yeah definitely. I think my dancing needs more help than yours, but we can learn together"

The air around us was shining brightly. The light was blurring the rest of my vision and I couldn't see the room.

I tugged Craig towards me through our own phosphorescent bubble. I gently pressed my lips against his and enjoyed his breath and return effort.

With a blinding flash and a deafening crack, we were gone.


End file.
